# Plan of Theses on the Question of the Immediate Conclusion of a Separate and Annexationist Peace
# Source: Lenin Collection XI, p. 37
# Date: 18 January 1918

In view of the crisis that had arisen in mid-January of the year 1918 in the peace negotiations, the definitive clarification of the Allies' refusal to enter into peace negotiations, and the presentation by the Germans at Brest of an ultimative demand for the annexation of Poland, Lithuania, etc., a number of leading Party workers presented to the C.C. of the Party a demand—to convene a meeting with workers from the localities "for discussion of the question of the international political situation in connection with the tactics of the proletarian party" (see Protocols of the C.C. of the R.S.-D.R.P., August 1917 – February 1918, Giz. 1929, p. 287). The meeting of the C.C. of the Party together with members of the fraction of the III All-Russian Congress of Soviets took place on 24 (8) January 1918, two days before the opening of the III Congress of Soviets. At it Lenin read his "Theses on the Question of the Immediate Conclusion of a Separate and Annexationist Peace," written on 20 (7) January 1918. On the reverse side of the last three pages of the theses there are notes written in pencil in Lenin's hand, representing a record of the most essential points of the speeches of the orators. These notes are printed below under the letter "a".

Under the letter "b" are printed notes representing a working up of the preliminary record of the discussion at the Party meeting, in which Lenin writes out and summarizes the most important points from the preliminary record. Judging from the fact that the notes are rewritten in ink, some points clarified, written in a certain order and there are marks denoting the corresponding combination of points,—one must conclude that these notes were compiled not at the meeting itself, but after 24 (8) January, but no later than 24 (11) January 1918, before the question of peace was discussed at a session of the C.C. These notes were apparently intended for use in oral and written speeches. Some of the arguments of opponents of the conclusion of a separate peace were later used by Lenin in the article "On Revolutionary Phrase" (Works, vol. XXII, pp. 264–269).

That the record of the discussion relates to the meeting of 24 (8) January 1918 is evident from the "Postscript to the Theses on the Question of the Immediate Conclusion of a Separate and Annexationist Peace" placed in the present collection (see document 48), in which Lenin writes about three points of view that had emerged at the meeting. Likewise, at the end of the "Record of the Discussion," Lenin, apparently summarizing, underscores: "three points of view." The quotation given in the "Postscript": "I stand on Lenin's old position" coincides with the record of the speech of V. V. Obolenskii (Osinkii) in these notes. These facts confirm that the record of the discussion was made precisely at the meeting of 24 (8) January 1918.

The documents printed acquire all the greater historical interest in that they are so far the only material illuminating the first stage of the discussion of the theses, since the protocol of the Party meeting of 24 (8) January has not been found to this day. A total of 63 people participated in the meeting. Of these, in the vote for Lenin's point of view, there were 45 votes; for revolutionary war—32 votes; and for "declaring the war ended, demobilizing the army, but not signing peace" (Trotsky)—46 votes.

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# NOTES ON THE PARTY MEETING
# 24 (8) JANUARY 1918

RECORD OF THE DISCUSSION.
[24 (8) January 1918]

Obolenskii:
Two basic theses of Lenin:
1) "continuation" of war:
2) intelligent patriotism;
in Lenin: "peasant, petty bourgeois peace"
"dictatorship of the peasantry"...
(NB) not immediate... "gradualism"

... "The German soldier will not go on the offensive"... I believe in them (in these fairy tales).
|and the German Kaledinovtsy?|

Gambrai—"Lenin himself (?) pointed out"*.
Material support (Anglo-French) is not necessary... (we'll manage without their help either)³...

NB III State of c i v i l w a r with G e r m a n y:
III & à la Kaledins' Front.
Uprising in Germany is imminent: I stand on Lenin's old position³.

"I am for the break-off of negotiations and for a state of c i v i l w a r on the f r o n t... State of r e v o l u t i o n against German i m p e r i a l i s m." — — —

Trotsky:
R e v o l u t i o n a r y w a r is impossible. But can the Germans go on the offensive?

..."we have lost much in results over the course of a month"... to continue the tactic of dragging things out...

|
"state of war ceases, the army is demobilized, we go home to build socialist Russia"...
|||
to the south against the Rada? agreement on mazzik...

It would hinder the offensive to an extreme degree... (25% for the offensive). — A preliminary peace is something only the Germans will give....

But what if they put forward other conditions? Not—agitation?

■

Favorable moral situation: in a moral sense we are clean before the w o r k i n g c l a s s of all countries.

NB: |||| "If r e v o l u t i o n a r y w a r, we will be overthrown, that is as clear as d a y l i g h t."
We will not give grain, but the German is no fool and will force us to give grain....

Lomov:
"decompose the G e r m a n and A u s t r i a n army," that is our form of struggle...
We will prove to the German army that it should not wage war...
D i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p e a s a n t r y—"peasant peace," which Lenin wants....
Lenin finds great authority in the statements of Kautsky and Co⁵.
The objective situation is such that p e a c e is not required.......

Preobrazhenskii:
"In the ideology of the exhausted soldier".... both in external and in i n t e r n a l politics.......
.... "A r e v o l u t i o n that is unable to defend itself on the f r o n t has already perished".......
..."purely technical" questions: 2 regiments, trifles.......
Where is the impossibility of defending ourselves?

NOTES ON THE PARTY MEETING

We need faith that we are invincible. Example of the great F r e n c h r e v o l u t i o n..........

T e c h n i c a l l y m a y a t t a c k: "winter," no roads...
"C o m p r o m i s e w i t h G e r m a n i m p e r i a l i s m" (P r e o b r a z h e n s k i i).......

P r e o b r a z h e n s k i i:
"there can be no c o m p r o m i s e way out"...
Three points of view⁴.

Kamenev:
"We are betraying Poland" etc⁵.

Yakovleva:
"Into the category of the almost impossible," we will perish with honor and with the banner held high.
......."Everything, so that the international r e v o l u t i o n ignites in Europe"..........

б.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSION AT THE PARTY MEETING 24 (8) JANUARY
1918.

[24 (8)–24 (11) January 1918]

Trotsky

"R e v o l u t i o n a r y w a r is impossible".... But can the Germans go on the offensive?

"State of war ceases, the army is demobilized, we go home to build socialist Russia"...

Agreement of the Rada (with German) imperialism; on mazzik.

25% for the fact that the G e r m a n s can go on the offensive....

But what if the Germans present even worse conditions? Obligation not to conduct agitation?

"Favorable m o r a l situation"....

"In a moral sense we are c l e a n before the w o r k i n g c l a s s of all countries"...

* The following notes, relating to Kamenev and Yakovleva, judging by the character of the record, were added some time later.